This paper shortly explains the incident and it's environmental and economical consequences. However, the focus is on the political and legal changes that can be seen as a result of the accident. Who was held responsible for the spill? What was the direct response from the Obama Administration and how did the biggest oil spill in history changed policy concerning safety and oil production?
For centuries the oceans are a source for food supply, transportation, security, oil and gas resources. At the same time, human pressure the oceans both from land and see and climate change causes further tension. Ocean governance developed as a response to this. It’s the conduct of the policy, actions and affairs regarding the oceans and is engaged for example with the division of the ocean space and the diverging regulations to control human activity in the oceans. By the middle of the twentieth century there was an impetus to extend national claims over offshore resources. The exploitation fever grow as technology opens new ways to tap the resources of the sea. Especially oil exploration was moving further from land and deeper into the bedrock of continental margins in the late 1960s. The fast development of the offshore oil production needs to be seen in a political context as till the 1970s the United States had been the world’s number one producer of petroleum and American oil companies determined the global price of oil. However, the American demand for oil steadily increased and so did the overall reliance on imports. The “oil shocks” in 1973 and 1979 were the clearest and most painful affirmation of the nation’s vulnerability because of its dependence on import oil. The more oil the U.S. produces itself the more the country can limit its involvement with foreign powers and concentrate on entirely meeting its own energy needs. Offshore drilling and shale oil will provide that quantity of oil and any additional oil production can be used to trade internationally and thereby making the U.S more powerful on the global stage. Dependence on the other hand can threaten U.S. national security and revenues may undermine the efforts to promote good governance. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most important regions for energy resources and infrastructure for the U.S., both onshore and offshore. One of the key events that caused the onset of major changes was the explosion at the Deepwater horizon mobile offshore drilling unit in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20,2010.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Deepwater Horizon
2.1 Historical Background
2.2 Legal Framework and structures
2.3 The Incident
2.4 The Consequences
3. Political and Legal Response
3.1 Responsibility
3.2 Reaction Obama Administration
4. Trump and the Future of Offshore drilling
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the political and legal consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, analyzing the regulatory failures, the subsequent response by the U.S. government, and the evolving trajectory of American offshore drilling policy under different administrations.
- Analysis of the historical and legal background of U.S. offshore oil operations.
- Investigation into the causes and multi-faceted responsibilities regarding the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
- Evaluation of the Obama administration's crisis management and regulatory reforms.
- Examination of the Trump administration's agenda on energy independence and offshore drilling expansion.
- Discussion on the future of the offshore oil industry in the context of global environmental concerns.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3 The Incident
Deepwater Horizon was a semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit that was owned by Transocean, the world’s largest contractor of offshore drilling rigs. BP leased the Drilling Unit for 1 million US Dollars per day. Deepwater Horizon floated in 4,992 feet of water beyond the gentle slope of the continental shelf in the Mississippi Canyon to drill the Macondo well, a well that had proved complicated and challenging. On April 20th, BP and the Macondo well were almost six weeks behind schedule and over budget because Hurricane Ida battered the former rig that was supposed to drill the well. That day around 126 people were aboard the majority of them Transocean employees, a few BP men, cafeteria and laundry workers and workers for specialized jobs depending on the status of the well.
The oil field, that the rig was drilling was located two and a half miles below the seabed in the Middle Miocene era trapped in a porous rock formation at temperatures exceeding 200 degrees. The field was in the ultra-deepwater and drilling it was more challenging (see above). The Deepwater Horizon was registered at the Marshall Islands. BP leased the Mississippi Canyon Block 252, were the Macondo well is located, in the Central Gulf of Mexico at Minerals Management Service (MMS). The MMS was an agency of the United States Department of the Interior that managed the nations gas, oil and mineral resources on the outer continental shelf. After the Deepwater Horizon incident, the agency was split in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (named above). The 10 years lease started 2008. BP shared its ownership with Anadarko Petroleum and MOEX Offshore.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Discusses the historical importance of ocean resources, the development of ocean governance, and the significance of the Gulf of Mexico for U.S. energy production.
2. Deepwater Horizon: Details the history of offshore drilling, the regulatory frameworks in place, the specific technical circumstances of the Macondo well, and the scale of the environmental disaster.
3. Political and Legal Response: Analyzes the liabilities of the companies involved, the legal settlements reached, and the administrative reaction and reform efforts initiated by the Obama government.
4. Trump and the Future of Offshore drilling: Explores the shift toward a pro-industry agenda, the reduction of regulatory burdens, and the ongoing tension between energy independence and environmental protection.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the lessons learned from the disaster, the partial failure of regulatory reforms, and the uncertain future of the petroleum sector in an era of climate awareness.
Keywords
Deepwater Horizon, Oil Spill, Ocean Governance, Offshore Drilling, BP, Minerals Management Service, UNCLOS, Environmental Impact, Obama Administration, Trump Administration, Energy Policy, Liability, Offshore Industry, Macondo Well, Regulatory Reform
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the political and legal implications resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key themes include ocean governance, the responsibilities of private energy firms, government regulatory failures, and shifting U.S. energy policies.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how the largest oil spill in U.S. history influenced safety regulations and policy-making regarding offshore drilling.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The paper utilizes a qualitative analysis based on legal records, industry reports, government findings, and specialized literature on international relations and environmental law.
What is addressed in the main body of the work?
The main body examines the technical causes of the accident, the legal accountability of involved companies, the governmental crisis response, and political developments under the Obama and Trump administrations.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Deepwater Horizon, offshore drilling, ocean governance, environmental impact, and energy policy.
How was responsibility for the disaster distributed legally?
Responsibility was largely attributed to BP (67%), followed by Transocean (30%) and Halliburton (3%), based on judicial findings regarding reckless conduct and negligence.
How has the U.S. government policy toward offshore drilling changed over time?
U.S. policy has oscillated from tighter safety regulations and environmental safeguards under the Obama administration to a deregulation-focused, pro-industry approach under the Trump administration.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Stella Benedickt (Autor:in), 2020, Deepwater Horizon. An Analysis of the Political and Legal Consequences of the Biggest Oil Spill in U.S. History, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1303027
